1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to lid or closure locking devices and is more particularly directed to such a device which also orients the closure with relation to the housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present closures or lids are locked in an opening of a housing by means of a split ring which spans the juncture of the closure and the housing by bearing against the outer surface of the closure and being received in an open groove formed in the housing. The closure is wedged in the opening by a shoulder formed in the housing on one side of the closure and the split ring bearing against the other side of the closure. In order to lock the closure in place, the closure is first inserted into the opening in the housing and made to abut against the shoulder. Then the resilient split ring is contracted so that it will fit into the opening above the closure and placed in coplanar relation with the open groove in the housing. Upon releasing the contracted split ring, the latter will expand to its normal size to be received by the open groove whereby the split ring now spans the juncture between the closure and the housing. The objections to the use of the split ring for securing a closure member to a housing are manifold. One objection is the difficulty to contract the split ring when removing it from the housing to release the closure member. Another objection is the possibility of the split ring losing its resiliency and failing to expand when placed in position to lock the closure member in place on the housing. Also, if the juncture of the closure member and the housing is not accessible as occurs when the closure member is fastened to a support member or if a single closure member is used to close off a pair of housings mounted end to end then a split ring cannot be used. The present invention contemplates avoiding all of the above objections to the use of a closure member or lid for closing off an opening in a housing, as well as being able to orient the lid with relation to the housing when such is desired.